For years I’ve been encouraged to compile a book of these
images. I hesitated pursuing a book because I did not
want to explain, or analyze my photos. The thrust of this
book is a collection of my biker photography accompanied by
compatible Sorez’s biker poems. Living the Life is a personal
view of a biker’s existence. Allowing the reader to draw their own
conclusions from the material presented. It is not my intention
to stereotype the folks in my photographs. This is because all
bikers are not alike, but share the same contempt for being
categorized.
The photography in this book is editorial in nature. Everyone
in this book was photographed with their knowledge, and
permission. It spans over 30 years of traveling with hard core
bikers. I would like to thank everyone who is featured in this
book for their part in preserving our history.
Long May You Ride,
Doug Barber AKA Q-Ball
living the life
photographs by Doug Barber, aka Q-Ball
poems by Eddie (Sorez) Pliska, aka Sorez the Scribe
designed by Eric Wheatley
Published and Printed in the United States of America.
Published by Lowside Syndicate.
www.lowsidesyn.com
Printed by Ridge Printing.
8900 Yellow Brick Rd. Baltimore, MD 21237
www.ridgeprinting.com
All rights reserved under international copyright conventions.
No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced
or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any
information storage or retrieval system, without the
written consent of the publisher and author.
First Edition January 2010
This edition is limited to 3,000 copies.
ISBN 978-0-615-34271-9
Copyright 2009 Doug Barber
Here is what the critics are saying.
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Classic images of bikers from the 70’s and earlier are a
hit among today’s discriminating enthusiasts. And it’s
not just a case of looking back through rose colored
glasses to motorcycling’s past. Rather it is the natural consequence
when popular culture celebrates cartoonish exaggerations,
and shuns the genuine.
Doug Barber’s photos remind us of a time when the bikes,
and the people that rode them were the real deal. Thankfully,
Doug was there living it; not just as an observer from
the outside. This collection of images combined with the
words of Sorez the Scribe provides a unique glimpse into
our culture’s past. For those that lived, partied and rode
during that time it’s a memory book of sorts. For the new
generation it represents the path less chosen, inspiration,
and a history book of our two-wheeled forefathers.
Living the life, it’s good for your soul.”
Todd Ingram
Editorial Director
Iron Horse Magazine
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The Marriage of Biker Poetry
and Photographic Genius:
Q-Ball’s master lens and Sorez the Scribe’s road sharpened
pen ignites the page with the lure of the
steel pony, the rolling thunder, the chink, chink,
chink of the gravel, and a brotherhood that rides forever
towards the horizon. While there are many photo
books that spread bikers and their motorcycles flat
out across a coffee table, and certainly Biker Poetry
is beginning to stand on its own in the poetry community,
Living the Life is the ‘IMAX of Biker Nation.’
Sorez’s poetic cadence draws you into Q-Ball’s lens
where you are not just looking at some pictures, you
are on the bike, riding with the pack, or just taking a
solo run into the wind. From Basket Case to Road to
Redemption Q-Ball and Sorez bring the Code of Ethics
into ‘True 3D Soul’ with photo-word-graphics.
Living the Life is more than a photo-documentary,
or a poetry book, and it is deeper than a historical
perspective, Living the Life is history in the making
- a history that can open the pipes and blast down
highways at the speed of light.
MarySusan Williams-Migneault
RoadHousePress
The IMAX of Biker Nation
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Stay tuned for updates, and book signing locations. Also visit Lowside Syndicate for more information. www.lowsidesyn.com
